How to use the paycheck calculator
- Enter your pay. Choose Salary or Hourly, type the amount, and pick how often you are paid.
- Copy your Form W-4. Select your filing status and fill in Steps 2, 3 and 4 the way they are on the form your employer has.
- Add your deductions. Type the 401(k) contribution and health premium for one paycheck. The take-home pay and every tax line update as you type.
What is a paycheck calculator?
A paycheck calculator is a tool that turns gross pay into take-home pay. It subtracts federal income tax withholding, Social Security tax, Medicare tax and your own deductions from one paycheck, and shows each amount on its own line.
This calculator uses the 2026 method the IRS gives employers in Publication 15-T. It is the same worksheet a payroll system follows, so the result can be compared with a pay stub line by line.
Features
- Salary and hourly pay, with overtime hours at a multiplier you set
- Weekly, biweekly, twice-a-month and monthly pay periods
- Every step of the 2020-and-later Form W-4: filing status, the Step 2 checkbox, Step 3 credits and Step 4(a), 4(b) and 4(c)
- Federal income tax from the 2026 IRS percentage method tables
- Social Security up to the $184,500 wage base, Medicare and Additional Medicare Tax
- 401(k) and health premium deductions taken before tax, each treated the way the IRS treats it
- The withholding worksheet shown step by step, with take-home pay per paycheck and per year
- A PDF report of your inputs and every result line, to save or share on WhatsApp
How federal income tax withholding is calculated
Employers find the federal income tax for each paycheck with Worksheet 1A of IRS Publication 15-T (2026). The calculator follows the same four steps.
- Annual wages. Multiply the taxable wages of one paycheck by the number of pay periods in the year.
- Adjusted annual wage. Add the Step 4(a) amount. Subtract the Step 4(b) amount and the line 1g amount, which is $12,900 for married filing jointly and $8,600 for every other status. Line 1g is 0 when the Step 2 box is checked.
- Tentative withholding. Find the row of the percentage method table that holds the adjusted annual wage. Take the amount in that row plus the percentage of the wage above the row's start, then divide by the number of pay periods.
- Credits and extra withholding. Divide the Step 3 amount by the number of pay periods and subtract it, but not below 0. Add the Step 4(c) amount.
Worked example
A single employee is paid $2,500 every two weeks and has no other entries on Form W-4. Annual wages are $2,500 × 26 = $65,000. Subtracting $8,600 gives an adjusted annual wage of $56,400.
That wage is in the row that starts at $19,900: $1,240 plus 12% of $36,500 is $5,620 for the year. Divided by 26, the federal income tax is $216.15 per paycheck.
Social Security is $155 and Medicare is $36.25, so the take-home pay is $2,092.60 per paycheck, or $54,407.50 for the year.
2026 federal withholding tables
These are the annual percentage method tables from IRS Publication 15-T (2026) for a Form W-4 with the Step 2 box not checked. The wage in the first column is the adjusted annual wage from step 2 above, not gross pay.
Single or married filing separately
| Adjusted annual wage | Tentative amount | Plus | Of the amount over |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $7,500 | $0 | 0% | $0 |
| $7,500 to $19,900 | $0 | 10% | $7,500 |
| $19,900 to $57,900 | $1,240 | 12% | $19,900 |
| $57,900 to $113,200 | $5,800 | 22% | $57,900 |
| $113,200 to $209,275 | $17,966 | 24% | $113,200 |
| $209,275 to $263,725 | $41,024 | 32% | $209,275 |
| $263,725 to $648,100 | $58,448 | 35% | $263,725 |
| $648,100 and over | $192,979.25 | 37% | $648,100 |
Married filing jointly
| Adjusted annual wage | Tentative amount | Plus | Of the amount over |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $19,300 | $0 | 0% | $0 |
| $19,300 to $44,100 | $0 | 10% | $19,300 |
| $44,100 to $120,100 | $2,480 | 12% | $44,100 |
| $120,100 to $230,700 | $11,600 | 22% | $120,100 |
| $230,700 to $422,850 | $35,932 | 24% | $230,700 |
| $422,850 to $531,750 | $82,048 | 32% | $422,850 |
| $531,750 to $788,000 | $116,896 | 35% | $531,750 |
| $788,000 and over | $206,583.50 | 37% | $788,000 |
Head of household
| Adjusted annual wage | Tentative amount | Plus | Of the amount over |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $15,550 | $0 | 0% | $0 |
| $15,550 to $33,250 | $0 | 10% | $15,550 |
| $33,250 to $83,000 | $1,770 | 12% | $33,250 |
| $83,000 to $121,250 | $7,740 | 22% | $83,000 |
| $121,250 to $217,300 | $16,155 | 24% | $121,250 |
| $217,300 to $271,750 | $39,207 | 32% | $217,300 |
| $271,750 to $656,150 | $56,631 | 35% | $271,750 |
| $656,150 and over | $191,171 | 37% | $656,150 |
When the Step 2 box is checked, the IRS uses a second set of tables with rows about half as wide, and line 1g is 0. For a single filer the 12% row then starts at $14,250 instead of $19,900. The calculator switches tables when you tick the box.
Social Security and Medicare
Social Security tax is 6.2% of wages up to the wage base, which the Social Security Administration set at $184,500 for 2026. The most an employee pays in 2026 is $11,439. Wages above the base carry no Social Security tax for the rest of the year.
Medicare tax is 1.45% of all wages, with no upper limit. The IRS says an employer must also withhold Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% from wages above $200,000 in a calendar year, whatever the employee's filing status.
| Tax | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 6.2% | Wages up to $184,500 in 2026 |
| Medicare | 1.45% | All wages |
| Additional Medicare Tax | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 in the calendar year |
How pre-tax deductions change a paycheck
A pre-tax deduction is money taken out of gross pay before tax is worked out. The two most common ones are treated differently.
- 401(k) or 403(b) contribution. IRS Topic no. 424 says the deferral is not subject to income tax withholding, and that it is included in wages for Social Security and Medicare. It lowers one tax line, not three.
- Health insurance premium paid before tax. IRS Publication 15-B lists accident and health benefits as exempt from income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare. It lowers all three tax lines.
On the $2,500 paycheck above, a $150 401(k) contribution and a $100 health premium bring federal income tax down from $216.15 to $186.15 and Social Security from $155 to $148.80. Take-home pay becomes $1,880.25.
After-tax deductions, such as a Roth contribution or union dues, come out of the paycheck last and change no tax line.
Hourly pay and overtime
For hourly pay, gross pay is the hourly rate times the hours in the pay period, plus overtime hours at the overtime rate. The U.S. Department of Labor says covered employees must be paid not less than one and one-half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, so the multiplier starts at 1.5.
At $25 an hour, 80 hours and 5 overtime hours in a two-week pay period make $2,000 of regular pay and $187.50 of overtime pay, a gross of $2,187.50. The calculator withholds on that total with the same IRS worksheet.
To add up the hours first, use the time card calculator, which turns clock-in and clock-out times into regular and overtime hours. A bonus is withheld by different rules from regular pay; the bonus tax calculator shows both IRS methods. The new deduction for overtime is worked out on the no tax on overtime page.
Paychecks by state
Federal tax is the same in every state. State income tax is not: some states tax wages at one flat rate, some use brackets, and 5 of the 15 states in this calculator take nothing. Choose a state in the calculator to add its line and its withholding form. To compare one salary across every state and see each state's rates, see income tax by state.
Each state page adds what is specific to that state: its income tax rule and where it comes from, take-home pay tables, the minimum wage, overtime, paydays and the final paycheck deadline. The Tennessee paycheck calculator and the Nevada paycheck calculator are two of them.
What you can use it for
- Check a pay stub against the IRS method, line by line
- See the take-home pay of a job offer before you accept it
- Test a new Form W-4 before you give it to your employer
- See how a larger 401(k) contribution changes each paycheck
- Plan for the pay period when Social Security tax stops
Changing jobs or getting married is a good time to check your withholding. Our guide on how to fill out Form W-4 walks through each step of the form with examples.
What the calculator includes
- Tax year: 2026, with the figures the IRS and the Social Security Administration published for that year.
- Taxes: federal income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare and Additional Medicare Tax. The state list has Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, with each state's income tax, withholding form and paycheck deductions, and Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, which do not tax wages. More states are added one at a time, each with figures from that state's revenue department.
- Form W-4: the 2020-and-later form, which has no allowances.
- Pay: gross pay up to $10,000,000, hourly rates up to $10,000, up to 744 hours in a pay period, and an overtime multiplier from 1 to 5.
- Per-year figures: the same paycheck in every pay period of the year.
Is it private?
Yes. The calculation runs in your browser. Your pay, your Form W-4 entries and your result are not sent to a server and are not saved. The site has no account and no sign-up.
Tips for an accurate estimate
- Copy the entries from the Form W-4 your employer has on file, not from a new form you plan to hand in. Payroll uses the form on file.
- Take pre-tax deductions from a recent pay stub. Enter the amount for one paycheck, not for the year.
- Use the Step 2 checkbox only if it is checked on your Form W-4. It moves you to a different IRS table and raises withholding.
- Late in the year, fill in the wages you have already been paid. The calculator then stops Social Security at the wage base, as payroll does.
- Compare the result with your last pay stub line by line. A difference in one line shows which entry to correct.
Built for everyone who is paid by paycheck
One calculator for the whole paycheck, from gross pay to the amount that reaches your bank.
For salaried employees
- Salary per year or per paycheck
- Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly and monthly pay
- Take-home pay per paycheck and per year
- 401(k) and health premiums before tax
For hourly workers
- Hourly rate and hours per pay period
- Overtime hours at the multiplier you set
- Regular and overtime pay shown apart
- The same IRS method as salaried pay
For anyone filling in a Form W-4
- The Step 2 checkbox for two jobs
- Step 3 credits for dependents
- Step 4 other income, deductions and extra withholding
- See the effect on every paycheck before you file the form
For high earners
- The Social Security wage base
- Additional Medicare Tax above the threshold
- Year-to-date wages for an exact paycheck
- All eight federal withholding rows
- 2026
- Tax year
- 74
- Official sources
- 756
- Automated checks
- 100%
- Free, no sign-up
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
- How much tax is taken out of a paycheck?
- Every paycheck has 6.2% Social Security tax and 1.45% Medicare tax, plus federal income tax that depends on your pay and your Form W-4. A single employee paid $2,500 every two weeks has $407.40 of federal taxes withheld in 2026 and takes home $2,092.60.
- How is federal income tax withheld from my pay?
- Your employer follows Worksheet 1A of IRS Publication 15-T. It turns one paycheck into an annual wage, adjusts it with your Form W-4, finds the tax in the 2026 percentage method table, and divides it by the number of pay periods.
- What is the Social Security wage base for 2026?
- The wage base for 2026 is $184,500. Social Security tax of 6.2% is withheld on wages up to that amount, so the most an employee pays in the year is $11,439.
- Does a 401(k) contribution lower Social Security and Medicare tax?
- No. The IRS says 401(k) deferrals are not subject to income tax withholding, and that they stay in wages for Social Security and Medicare. A 401(k) contribution lowers federal income tax only.
- What does the Step 2 checkbox on Form W-4 do?
- It tells payroll that you have two jobs or that your spouse also works. The IRS then uses the Step 2 checkbox tables and sets line 1g to 0 instead of $8,600 or $12,900, which raises the tax withheld from each paycheck.
- How many pay periods are in a year?
- IRS Publication 15-T counts 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly and 12 monthly pay periods in a year.
- Why is my real paycheck different from the result?
- Compare the two line by line. The usual causes are a Form W-4 on file that differs from the one you entered, a pre-tax benefit that is missing, state or local income tax, and wages already paid this year that put you above the Social Security wage base.
- Is there no tax on overtime in 2026?
- Tax is still withheld. IRS Publication 15 says overtime remains subject to federal income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare. The new rule is a deduction on the tax return of up to $12,500, or $25,000 on a joint return, for tax years 2025 to 2028.
- Is overtime pay taxed at a higher rate on my paycheck?
- Overtime pay is added to regular pay, and tax is withheld on the total with the same worksheet. A larger paycheck can reach a higher row of the IRS table, so more is withheld from that paycheck.
Sources
Every rate, bracket and limit this calculator uses comes from the official sources below. The method is shown on this page, so any result can be checked by hand.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods. Worksheet 1A and the 2026 Percentage Method Tables for Automated Payroll Systems: every bracket, rate and the $12,900 and $8,600 amounts on line 1g.
- Internal Revenue Service, Form W-4 (2026), Employee's Withholding Certificate. The steps of the form and the Step 3 amounts: $2,200 for each qualifying child under 17 and $500 for each other dependent.
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates. Social Security 6.2%, Medicare 1.45%, and Additional Medicare Tax of 0.9% on wages above $200,000 in a calendar year.
- Social Security Administration, Contribution and Benefit Base. The 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 424, 401(k) plans. 401(k) deferrals are left out of income tax withholding and stay in Social Security and Medicare wages.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15-B (2026), Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits, Table 2-1. Accident and health benefits are exempt from income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare.
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide. Overtime stays subject to withholding, Social Security and Medicare; the qualified overtime deduction of up to $12,500 ($25,000 on a joint return).
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Overtime Pay. Overtime at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.